Remember the Daytona 500? Think way back to mid-February ago — that was the only time we've seen seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson this season.
Johnson's part-time career piloting the No. 84 for Legacy Motor Club, the Cup team he owns, hasn't been an easy one. In 12 appearances for Legacy in 2023 and 2024, Johnson's best finish was twenty-sixth.
Enter 2025, Johnson makes the show for the Daytona 500, avoids late chaos, and brings it home for a third-place finish. Not just his first top-five finish in the 84, not just his first top-ten, but his first top-25 since returning to NASCAR. It was a feel-good moment that he said brought up plenty of emotions.
Anyway, that was five races ago. Johnson hasn't raced since then and is only due to appear again at the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Johnson sits 36th in the standings.
Below him are five drivers: Martin Truex Jr. (also only appeared in the Daytona 500), JJ Yeley (has only appeared twice), Katherine Legge (one start at Phoenix) and Corey Lajoie (two starts at Daytona and Atlanta). That leaves one more driver sitting seven points below him ... Cody Ware.
Why is this notable? Well, you see, Cody Ware is running a full-time schedule. This means he has run all six Cup races this season. Five fewer than Johnson. Johnson has 34 points. Ware has 27 points.
Ware, driving for his dad's Cup team, as he has in Cup since 2017, has a 2025 best finish of 24th so far.
It's no secret that Ware isn't running with top-level machinery under him, but when measured up against other drivers, Ware hasn't compared particularly well.
When Justin Haley and Corey Lajoie drove the 51-car last season, they combined to finish in the top 20 on 14 occasions. Meanwhile, Ware only notched six top-20s over the course of 42 starts in 2022-23 before he would be suspended over allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend. The charges were dropped in December 2023 and he would be reinstated for the 2024 season, where he would drive nine times for his dad's team, putting up three top-20s, including a fourth-place finish at the Daytona night race. It was an improvement in form that has not carried over into 2025.
Ware will look to overtake the seven-time champion for 36th place in the standings when the Cup Series returns to action Sunday, March 30 at Martinsville. He'll need his third top-30 of the season to complete the move.